I have a confession. Two, actually. I hate coconut. Its the texture. I don’t like it at all. I want to like it because I like the smell but I can’t stand it. Yuck! So when I came across a recipe for a dairy-free snack bar that called for coconut oil, I groaned. Yuck, coconut. But I decided to make it anyway and when I went to the store to buy coconut oil – and here’s confession #2 – I had no idea what I was looking for. I looked up and down the baked goods aisle and all I could find was coconut extract. That’s the same, right? Wrong! I made the No Bake Chocolate Chip Flax n’ Oat Bars with the extract and it wreaked of coconut. And didn’t hold together at all. Then I learned about Tropical Traditions and realized exactly what coconut oil is. Boy, was I off base. Coconut Oil is like shortening in its thickness but more transparent and it definitely smells like coconut. A friend of mine was raving about the coconut oil deodorant she had made and how she also liked using the … [Read more...]
Guest Post for the Allergy Kids Foundation
I’m really excited! My guest post was just published on the Allergy Kids Foundation blog! I connected with Robyn O’Brien, author of The Unhealthy Truth, back in August. I sent her an email inquiring about doing a guest post and she patiently waited for me to get through BlogHer and a busy summer to send her some ideas. The result is this: A Mother’s Love: I Was Determined I originally wrote this post during Food Allergy Awareness Week but updated it for Allergy Kids. I hope you’ll check it out and spend some time on the Allergy Kids website learning about what really goes into many of the foods in your pantry and grocery store. Then come back and let me know what you think. And check back soon for a review of Robyn’s book. … [Read more...]
Traveling with Food Allergies
As I write this post, I’m at an airport waiting to board the plane home from my first real vacation without my son. I have a lot to say about this trip but I’m still working on that post. For now, I’m excited to be going home, to see my son and I’m thinking about what this trip would have been like with him. It would have been a food allergy nightmare. We stayed in a lovely hotel but our room was small and did not have a kitchenette, which, I discovered this summer, is essential to traveling with food allergies. Last month, we took our son to the beach for the first time (he absolutely loved it!). We stayed in a hotel that was entirely comprised of suites, meaning we had two rooms: a bedroom and a living room with kitchenette. It was perfect because it allowed us to make our own meals and not have to worry about finding the one restaurant that was allergy-friendly. Whenever we travel, whether to the beach or to my in-laws, I always pack food. However, I’ve learned that I need to … [Read more...]
Allergy-Friendly S’mores
We hosted a family get together over the weekend to celebrate my father’s birthday. I thought it would be fun to celebrate by making S’mores over a backyard fire pit. We had two problems with this great idea: It was too hot out and no one wanted to sit around the fire pit roasting marshmallows. How would I make S’mores my son could eat when he’s allergic to milk (chocolate bar) and eggs (marshmallow)? Well, we opted to make S’mores in the evening when it was cooler and I made up an allergy-friendly recipe for my son. First, I went to a local organic market to hunt down vegan marshmallow. I checked the supermarket marshmallow label and didn’t see any of his allergens on the ingredient list. However, marshmallow is on his list of foods to avoid for the egg allergy so I opted to go vegan. I found Susie’s Ricemellow – think marshmallow fluff – and it’s actually pretty good (I’m always skeptical of “alternative” foods). Next, I took Hershey’s Cocoa powder (it’s just cocoa, not milk … [Read more...]
